Commissioners agreed to designate the town as rural residential
or rural agricultural.

The thing about Story is that its never going to be the same,
Commissioner Steve Cox said. Someday Story is going to change.
Youre going to need water and sewer.Sweetwater County to put jail
on ballotGREEN RIVER — Sweetwater County voters will be asked on
Nov. 6 to approve a half-cent excise tax to build a $12.6 million
jail.

The commission has been working for more than a decade to
improve jail conditions. A 1994 lawsuit by the American Civil
Liberties Union resulted in a court order that forced the county to
improve jail standards, such as crowding.

County commissioners approved the ballot resolution Tuesday. At
least four of the six towns in the county also must support the
resolution.

I think were going to get the two-thirds we need, said
Commission Chairman John Pallesen. People seem to be aware of the
need for a new jail.

If approved by voters, the new jail would cost about $1.3
million less than a jail proposal that voters defeated last
year.

The jail would be located between Rock Springs and Green River
on Wyoming Highway 191.Airline will get past turbulence, boss
saysCASPER — Great Lakes Aviation has endured its share of
difficulties but the Cheyenne-based airline will probably recover
soon, the company president said.

Doug Voss said he apologizes for the inconvenience that the
airlines troubles have caused passengers.

The airline has been plagued by flight delays and cancellations
that Voss attributed to a June 20 storm that damaged planes in
Denver and scheduling glitches that resulted from a takeover of
several of Air Wisconsins routes.

Financial difficulties are still on the horizon. Voss predicted
a significant loss financially in the second quarter of this year
but pointed to some bright areas, such as an increase in passengers
and revenues in the last half of June.

Also, Great Lakes has been working with its bank to restructure
deferred payments to Raytheon, its primary aircraft supplier.

We have no past due payments with Raytheon, Voss said.

The airline continues to stay in touch with Michael Tennenbaum,
of Los Angeles, an investor who has offered to buy the companys
stock for $4 a share, Voss said.Kern River pipeline clears first
hurdleCASPER — The first of several planned expansions of a gas
pipeline through Wyoming has been completed three weeks ahead of
schedule.

Williams Co. is expanding the Kern River Pipeline, which runs
from eastern Wyoming to gas markets in Nevada and California.

Kirk Morgan, director of business development for Kern River,
said emergency approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission expedited construction.

The expansion has boosted the pipelines capacity from 700
million cubic feet of gas per day to 835 million.

The additional capacity could bring some relief to Wyoming gas
producers, who say limited transmission capacity out of state is
hurting business.Path construction could begin this fallJACKSON —
Workers could begin constructing a pathway this fall to key
destinations such as Teton Village and Grand Teton National
Park.

The paved, 6.7-mile Moose-Wilson Trail would run alongside Teton
Village Road between the intersection of Wyoming 22 and the parks
southern boundary.

The Wyoming Department of Transportation must approve the design
to prevent any overlap with possible highway expansion plans.

The path would be 10 feet wide and located 16 to 34 feet from
the highway.

Jackson Hole Community Pathways has started negotiating
easements with landowners next the proposed path.

Pathways director Tim Young said a safe path to key destinations
could be attractive to pedestrians and cyclists.

Voters approved $370,000 from the Specific Purpose Tax in May to
help fund the project. Another $1.35 million in federal funding is
expected.Revenue director: Taxes could be changedCHEYENNE — The
director of the Wyoming Department of Revenue told lawmakers it may
be time to change the states mineral taxation system.

The system is in great danger of getting bogged down, Johnnie
Burton told the Select Mineral Taxation and Valuation
Committee.

There is a lack of trust between the state and counties, she
said. Counties are continually appealing the tax decisions made by
the departments of revenue and auditing.

Options include eliminating the counties right to appeal tax
decisions, and allowing counties to come up with the valuations of
mineral ad valorem taxes.

Another alternative is to establish a single tax on minerals,
she said. An amendment to the Wyoming Constitution would be
required for a single tax.

Joe Evans, executive director of the Wyoming Association of
County Commissioners, said county should be involved in the
valuation and appeals processes.

Mike Geesey, director of the Department of Audit, said trust
between the state and counties has increased over the past four or
five years.

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